Do computer simulations of laboratory practicals meet learning needs?

There is a variety of pressures on pharmacology teachers to replace real laboratory practicals with simulations but do they help students achieve the required learning objectives? In this article, the marks obtained by students in a variety of assessments using 'wet' or simulated practicals are analysed. Poorer performance in practical write-ups by students doing 'wet' practicals compared with those doing simulations can be explained by the quality of the data that the students obtain. In examinations, students perform equally well except with questions that are related to the experimental details of 'wet' practicals; students taught using such 'wet' practicals perform better in response to these questions.